


Spaces

by thetreesgrowodd



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Pre - Philosopher's Stone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-11-26
Updated: 2001-11-26
Packaged: 2017-11-17 11:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetreesgrowodd/pseuds/thetreesgrowodd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are spaces in young Harry Potter's life.</p><p>An afternoon with the Dursleys. Something innocent sparks Petunia's fear of magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spaces

**Author's Note:**

> Written in November, 2001.

Harry, grasping his pencil tightly, carefully printed a row of capital Rs. He was sitting on the living room carpet with his feet sticking out to his sides. His alphabet workbook was open on the coffee table in front of him. 

Lying on the couch with his feet up the wall, staring at a cartoon on television was Harry's cousin Dudley. His hand was moving constantly between a bag of sweets resting on his stomach and his mouth. Harry pretended to be engrossed in his work, but he peeked at the screen from time to time through his lashes. If Aunt Petunia thought he were watching telly, she'd make him go to his cupboard, and she was standing right behind him. 

_R. R. R. Red. Race. Ride._

The iron hissed and spat as Aunt Petunia ironed handkerchiefs from out of her laundry basket. _I'm invisible,_ Harry thought to himself. _I'm invisible._ If he could make himself believe it, if he didn't make a sound and didn't look up from his homework, maybe she would forget he was there. 

Dudley laughed with his mouth full. 

_R. R. R. Ram. Rock. Rain._ Harry's first name had two Rs and there was one in his last name. His teacher said she would teach the class to write their names as soon as they finished learning the alphabet. Harry almost knew enough now. 

An advert came on. 

"Mummy, do we have any more chocolate cake?" 

"Yes, dear! Now don't you get up, let me get you some!" Aunt Petunia chirped, setting down the iron. Her heels clicked down the hall toward the kitchen. 

"I want chocolate milk too!" Dudley bellowed, clumsily getting up and following her. The kitchen door slammed and Harry was alone. 

Harry kept his pencil ready, just in case, and turned to look over his shoulder at the closed door. Then he turned to the telly and watched a few toy adverts. A new cartoon started and a fat woman strutted onto the screen wearing black. She had green skin and a pointed hat perched on frizzy hair. It was a witch! She said some funny words and pointed at a prince who turned into a very astonished looking frog. Harry held in his laughter so no one would hear him. 

He heard the kitchen door open and hastily returned his attention to his workbook. 

"...Bake another tonight, dear, does..." Petunia trailed off. Then, in a strangled voice, demanded, "What are you watching?!" Harry's whole body tensed. 

She crossed the room in a few huge strides and slapped the television off. She was shaking. "We don't watch that kind of thing in this house!" she spat at Harry, who stared at the wood pattern on the table. His stomach had gone to ice. Explaining to Aunt Petunia that the cartoon had just come on by itself seemed pointless; he doubted she'd listen. 

"Cupboard! Now!" 

Numbly, Harry got to his feet and reached for his homework, but Aunt Petunia had already snatched it up. She marched him down the hall. Dudley beamed around the kitchen door at Harry. Aunt Petunia wrested open the cupboard door and pushed Harry onto his musty cot. His workbook and pencil flew in after him. The door slammed. 

Very slowly, Harry righted himself. He clicked on the single light bulb over his bed and tried to smooth out the creases of the now-abused R page. 

He found his pencil, and very neatly printed _HARR_ PO__ER_ on the upper right hand corner. Someday he would know what went in those spaces. Someday he would fill them in.


End file.
